Our Mission To design and implement innovative projects and - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Erna na Kr Kruge uger r (Direct rector); r); info@ nfo@mah mahlath thini. i.org rg Promoting ting collab laborativ ative, pro-poor poor agri ricul cultur tural al inn nnovation tion 2003 2003-20 2018 Our Mission • To design and implement innovative projects and programmes which promote collaborative, pro-poor agricultural innovation , working in partnership with other organizations and communities. • To work at the cutting edge of development methodology and process integrating learning (training), research and implementation into new models and processes emphasizing synergy and integration.

CSA PRINCIPLES • Minimize external inputs • Maximise internal diversity • Focus on soil health and natural soil building techniques • Take care of the environment • Use available water as efficiently as possible. • Work together, learn together and plan together • Local solutions and economies • Farmer driven development • Getting our hands dirty

Community based CCA • Conservation Agriculture 2013-2018- Maize Trust; • KZN, EC -550 farmer led CA trials • Smallholder CSA Decision support 2017-2020 – WRC; • 15 Village based sites across KZN, Limpopo, EC (200 participants) • (S&WC, agroecology- gardening, CA-field cropping, livestock and natural resource management) • Community CCA 2017-2019 – USAID (AWARD); • 7 Villages in Lower Olifants ’ Basin (150 participants )

RESILM-O: Resilience in the Limpopo Basin Program – Olifants ’ Lower Olifants ’ catchment Agricultural Support Initiative (AgriSI);2017-2019

MENWANA E MEHLANO/ FIVE FINGERS Ditsela tše hlano tšeo di ka dirago gore temo e be maleba / kaone 3. GO KAONAFAT Ṧ A HLOKOMELO YA DIBJALWA 2 . GO FOKOT Ṧ A K GOGOLEGO YA MOBU 4 . GO NONT Ṧ A MOBU CROP MANAGEMENT CONTROLLING SOIL MOVEMENT KEEP THE SOIL FERTILTY/HEALTHY Mixed cropping- incl intercropping Dedicated paths and beds Cut off drains – ditches across a Pest control brews - Chilli -soap, onion- Soil fertility management- manure (incl contour at top of garden/slop paraffin etc improved manure), compost, green manures, Contours - measured with line level Planting of herbs - (mixed in veg beds eg legumes, liquid manure Stone lines /bunds- made on contour coriander, parsley, Bed design -trench beds, shallow trenches, Strip cropping- Seed successions- planting a range of seed, eco-circles, banana circles/basins Sand bags for erosion control- across seasons for continuity, Seed saving Conservation Agriculture; minimal soil disturbance, soil cover ,crop diversity • 1. GO KAONAFAT Ṧ A TAOLO YA MEETSE Planting to maximise shade – in afternoons GOOD WATER MANAGEMENT 5 . HLOKOMELO YA DIMELA T Ṧ A TLHAGO TAKE CARE OF INDIGENOUS PLANTS Diversion ditches- to carry water to beds Small nurseries- propagation of fruit and Mulching - indigenous crops and trees Improved furrows and ridges- on Planting - windbreaks, hedges, multi contour, mulching, mixed cropping functional plants, inter cropping Greywater management and use ;-ash, tower gardens, keyhole gardens, greywater bucket filter Dripkits Tunnels RWH storage tanks Small dams

Community level CCA_ CSA 7 Villages/ learning groups – Mametje 150 participants 9 Local facilitators Individual experimentation; July 2018 (N=61) 3% 2% 3% 2% 3% 3% Trench beds 10% Mulching 48% Mixed cropping Tunnel Stonelines Furrows and ridges 34% diversion ditches manure seedling production for cont. seed saving 51%

Garden monitoring % Implementation of new ideas (N=29); September 2018 EXPERIMENTATION 76% RWH STORAGE 93% TUNNEL 21% BUCKET FILTERS/ DRIP KITS 21% CA 0% NAT P&D CONTROL 21% LIQUID MANURE 24% MULCHING 38% SEED AND SEEDLINGS Eco – circles, 97% mulching, mixed MIXED CROPPING 93% cropping ECO CIRCLES 31% TRENCH BEDS 76% STONE BUNDS 14% Farmer Experimentation No of participants (N=29) CONTOURS, LINE LEVELS 21% trench beds 21 CUT OFF DRAINS/DIVERSION DITCHES 34% tower gardens 4 banana basins 3 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Eco-circles 5

Measurements Sedawa Mametja Botshabelo Christina Mariam Tobejane Koko Maphori Lerato Lewele Malephe Date rainfall (mm) rainfall (mm) rainfall (mm) rainfall (mm) 21/12/2017 5 10 8 7 24/12/2017 1 4 3 4 30/12/2017 22 32 30 28 25/01/2018 1.5 3.5 3.8 5 28/01/2018 1.6 2.1 2 3 30/01/2018 1 1.5 1.8 1.4 24/02/2018 2 2.6 2.8 2.4 16/03/2018 28 51 30.2 10.2 21/03/2018 9 20.8 10.2 20.5 24/03/2018 20 32 28 9 01/04/2018 9 8 15 30 02/04/208 1.4 2 2 1.8 Total 101.5 169.5 136.8 122.3 Ave for each rainfall event 8.5 14.1 11.4 10.2

Best practice: Production in tunnels

Tunnel experiments • Trench bed with mixed cropping and mulching inside tunnel • Trench bed with mixed cropping and mulching outside tunnel • Furrows and ridges outside tunnel (control)

How productive is Farmers' method (Water applied) each practice? WP (kg/m 3 ) Name of famer water use Total weight (m 3 ) (kg) Christina Thobejane (Tunnel; trench 1,10 48,9 56,7 ➢ Water productivity – how beds, with mulch) much crop is produced for the Christina Thobejane (Furrows and 3,91 24,5 5 amount of water used? ridges with mulch) ➢ Trench in tunnel 10x more Christina trench outside 2,93 14,7 11,3 productive than furrows and Nora Mahlako (Tunnel; trench beds 9,47 19,6 5 ridges and 5 x more than without mulch) trench outside tunnel ➢ Must have mulch and do Cost (R/m 2 ) Water Yield Sales Profit deep watering. If not then (Rands/ m 2 ) (R/m 2 ) result is similar to furrows and ridges… 6 bundles/m 2 Trench 1100 R18,70 R60 R41,30 ➢ Cost- benefit (R35/210l) inside ➢ Profit of R31/m of trench tunnel bed ( in tunnel) Trench 4,2 2926 R48,80 R42 -R6,80 bundles/m 2 outside ➢ ~R620/tunnel fully planted tunnel (15m 2 ), for a season Furrows 3913 R130,40 2,4 R24 -R106,40 ➢ If water is free then~ R900 bundles/m 2 and ridges

Chameleons ➢ Measure the amount of water in the soil (20,40 and 60 cm deep) ➢ Tells you when and how much to irrigate Christina Tobejane (Sedawa): Applying water until the chameleon changes colour (goes blue) seems to be a good idea as this saves her some water and means that she only has to irrigate once a week (every 7 days). ▪ Top: Chameleon in trench bed inside tunnel She has thus now changed her irrigation ▪ Bottom: furrows and ridges outside tunnel practice of watering a little every morning and afternoon, to a deep watering every 5-7 days.

Herb and veg sales Date Herbs No Price Amount Total bundle s 2018/08/17 Basil 2 R15,00 R30,00 Coriander 32 R14,00 R448,00 Flat leaf parsley 21 R9,50 R199,50 R677,50 2018/08/24 Coriander 20 R14,00 R280,00 Flat leaf parsley 20 R9,50 R190,00 Spinach 30 R10,00 R300,00 Onions 33 R10,00 R330,00 R1 100,00 An average 2018/08/31 Coriander 30 R14,00 R420,00 of Flat leaf parsley 15 R9,50 R142,50 Basil 4 R15,00 R60,00 R600/month Spinach 24 R10,00 R240,00 R862,50 for the 15+ 2018/09/07 Coriander 10 R20,00 R200,00 Parsley flat leaf 10 R20,00 R200,00 participants; Parsley curly leaf 2 R20,00 R40,00 selling herbs Funnel 6 R20,00 R120,00 Cabbage 7 R20,00 R140,00 and Basil 4 R20,00 R80,00 vegetables Beetroot 2 R15,00 R30,00 Tomatoes 13 R10,00 R130,00 Spinach 40 R18,00 R720,00 R1 660,00 2018/09/14 Coriander 10 R20,00 R200,00 Parsley flat-leaf 10 R20,00 R200,00 Parsley curly-leaf 20 R20,00 R400,00 Cabbage 4 R20,00 R80,00 Basil 4 R20,00 R80,00 Beetroot 20 R15,00 R300,00 spinach 27 R18,00 R486,00 Onions 25 R10,00 R250,00 Fennel 4 R20,00 R80,00 R2 076,00 Total sales R6 376,00